Looking for Advice

[NicoleRose123]

I am currently expecting in just a few months. I have been with my husband for 3 years. I started experiencing symptoms such as itching, irritation, tingling, etc in the genital area so I went to the doctor to be checked out. The OBGYN did not see any signs of anything other than the redness and possibly yeast. They did a swab for a combination test to screen for BV, Yeast and Trich. That test came back positive for BV in which they put me on a 7 day course of antibiotics. Upon finishing the course and still feeling the symptoms in full force, I was tested again and once again the test came back positive for BV. I went on another 7 day course of the same antibiotic and once again no relief. I went in again to be swabbed and this time the test came back negative. The doctor indicated that it was normal for the infection to be gone but the symptoms to persist so she prescribed a topical steroid cream which has helped some but symptoms are still pretty bad. At this visit I demanded a full STD test which included a herpes IGg test and IGm test both type specific.  The IGg came back with a positive HSV1 (I knew this as I have cold sores for as long as I can remember) and a negative HSV2. The IGm both came back negative indicating no present infection. I am now 2 weeks into the topical steroid and still have persistent symptoms. The doctor has reassured me time and time again that this is not herpes but I am so confused as to why the symptoms persist. I am also concerned as I had taken 7 200mg acyclovir pills over the course of a week about one week prior to my test. (I had a cold sore) The doctor indicated that this would not have affected the tests. I have no sores or lesions. Really just terribly irritated, itchy and uncomfortable. When the itching is heightens I get red and rashy like. Does anyone have any feedback? Can 7 200mg (very low dose) over the course of 5 days affect the validity of the test?

[NicoleRose123]

Thank you for your response. I am going back to the doctor on Tuesday and going to ask for another blood test just to ease my mind.

I am a little confused about the IGm test. I read everywhere that it is completely unreliable and to disregard the results. The doctor ordered this test along with the IGg type specific. The way they explained it to me was that the IGm was a way to determine if what I was experiencing currently is the HSV1 virus (I tested positive for). I also read that the IGm test is used to detect early antibodies of a NEW infection. So my question is does the IGm test detect only new infections or does it detect recurrent?

Again my results were:
IGg hsv1 positive and hsv2 negative
IGm were both negative

Also, if this were hsv1 down there, how long would an OB last? I am going on about 7 weeks of continuous symptoms.

Thank you!

[gracefromHHP]

No, the acyclovir you took did not affect your test results.

At this point, since you are pregnant, just err on the side of caution and have your partner get type specific herpes igg blood testing done. It's important to know their status too, not just yours. Since herpes testing is not a part of routine std testing, your partner might never have been tested for it before and it's important info to have during pregnancy.

I had issues with BV for years unfortunately. I hated it far more than my hsv2 infection!!!  Sometimes getting rid of bv is difficult and even when it is gone, the irritation from the infection and the medications can linger. Long term use of topical steroid cream can thin out the skin and cause issues too. Since it's been 2 weeks, you might want to consider using a barrier cream like aquaphor or desitin on your genital skin to soothe and protect it instead. Any time you can go bottomless, that helps reduce irritation and gets cool, drying air to your genital area too. Since it's summer for most of us, wearing a night shirt and no panties can often be of help.

Hang in there!! Not everything in the genital area is herpes related by no means. Pregnancy makes everything even more interesting with all the changes in hormones and your body to make you have itches too.